PRODUCT CARE

Not only are The North Face® garments built to last, they are easy to care for. Routine care will ensure excellent performance and extend their useful life. Be sure to follow the care instructions - typically found on the inside tag.

Be sure to read the manufacturer’s care tag first. Wash your GORE-TEX® garment in the washing machine in warm (105°F/40°C) water. For the best results, use a small amount of liquid detergent. Please do not use powder detergents, fabric softener or chlorine bleach.

How often should I wash my GORE-TEX® garment?

Wash your garment as often as you need to remove such impurities as dirt, campfire smoke and cooking odours. Washing and drying your garment helps restore the durable water repellency (DWR) that is important to the performance of a GORE-TEX® garment.

What cycle do I use to wash my GORE-TEX® garment?

You can use a gentle cycle that does not rigorously spin the garment. Reducing the spinning will minimize creasing or damage that can be caused by pulling and twisting the garment.

Can I use either powder or liquid detergent?

For best results, we recommend using liquid rather than powder detergents.

Should I wash my waterproof garment separately?

You do not need to wash your GORE-TEX® garment by itself. You can wash it with similar garments that are not heavily soiled. We suggest a second rinse cycle to ensure that all of the detergent and soil are completely rinsed out of the garment.

Can I use stain removers on my GORE-TEX® garment?

We do not recommend stain removers. Instead, we recommend using liquid detergent in the pre-wash cycle of your washing machine to remove stains and heavy soil. If your machine does not have a pre-wash cycle, simply soak the garment in warm water with liquid detergent.

Can I use bleach?

Please do not use bleach with any GORE-TEX® garment. It could affect the colour and performance of the garment.

Wash your garment as often as you need to remove such impurities as dirt, campfire smoke and cooking odours. Washing and drying your garment helps restore the durable water repellent (DWR) that is important to the performance of a DryVent® garment.

What cycle do I use to wash my DryVent® garment?

You can use a gentle cycle that does not rigorously spin the garment. Reducing the spinning will minimize creasing or damage that can be caused by pulling and twisting the garment.

Can I use either powder or liquid detergent?

For best results, we recommend using liquid rather than powder detergents.

Should I wash my waterproof garment separately?

You do not need to wash your DryVent® garment by itself. You can wash it with similar garments that are not heavily soiled. We suggest a second rinse cycle to ensure that all of the detergent and soil are completely rinsed out of the garment.

Can I use stain removers on my DryVent® garment?

We do not recommend stain removers. Instead, we recommend using liquid detergent in the pre-wash cycle of your washing machine to remove stains and heavy soil. If your machine does not have a pre-wash cycle, simply soak the garment in warm water with liquid detergent.

Can I use bleach?

Please do not use bleach with any DryVent® garment. It could affect the colour and performance of the garment.

Periodic cleaning of down products is essential to maintaining maximum loft and ensuring the long life of the product. Down products are delicate and need special care to maintain maximum effectiveness. When dried improperly, down can become uneven and clumpy. This can cause loss of loft, the ability of your down product to keep you warm.

Use a front-loading machine ONLY. A top-loading machine with an agitator may damage the product's internal construction. Wash in warm water with a mild powder detergent (without bleach) on a gentle cycle. You may wish to repeat the rinse cycle to be sure all soap residue is removed. An extra spin cycle will help to remove excess water. Do not lift the product from the washer; scoop it from the bottom.

Tumble dry over a long period using no heat. It is important that you wash and dry items individually. Experienced down washers sometimes add tennis balls to the dryer to make sure the down does not clump.

Washing your down product in the bathtub by hand is not recommended. Soap is rarely rinsed out completely, which can be detrimental to the insulating value of down. Also, wet down can put substantial stress on its shell and can rip the baffles and stitching. Dry-cleaning can also decrease the item’s loft and may damage the down.

Though it is possible to wash your own down product, we recommend that you have your sleeping bag professionally cleaned by a service that specializes in cleaning down. It will save you time and energy.

All The North Face® items have cleaning instructions on a tag inside the garment. In most items you will find the tag stitched in the seam at the collar.
If the care instructions allow it, you can machine wash your synthetic fill jacket. To restore the loft of your item, it is recommendable to tumble dry the item adding a few tennis balls to the dryer.

The North Face® Tent Mules have cardboard in the sole therefore they cannot be machine washed nor dipped in water. Instead, use hot water, a rag and a gentle cleansing agent to clean the footwear. To dry, stuff shoes and air-dry for best results.

Waterproof garments are made of either a nylon or polyester outer fabric that has been laminated to a waterproof membrane. This outer fabric is treated with a durable water repellent finish, (DWR). Once the DWR wears off, water will soak into the outer fabric layer of the jacket and sit on the waterproof membrane. This cold layer will stop moisture vapour from moving through the membrane and will create a surface for moisture to condense on creating that all too familiar cold “clammy” feeling as if the jacket appears to be leaking.

In order to revive the DWR, the product needs to be thoroughly cleaned with a soap based product in a regular washing machine, on a cool to warm cycle. Put the product through two rinse cycles to ensure there is no detergent residue. Dry the garment in a regular tumble dryer, on a cool setting, or use an iron on a cool setting to revive the DWR finish.

This process should revive the DWR. After extended use it may be necessary to use a reproofing product to replenish the DWR finish to the outer fabric surface. These can be bought from most outdoor retail stores. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Any form of alteration to your GORE-TEX® garment after purchase, including repairs, logo embroidery, or fit alterations, should be done at a Gore-certified facility. Otherwise, you might compromise the waterproof protection of your garment, usually via small needle holes that have not been sealed. If you need to change your garment in any way, contact us to locate a certified repair facility.

I've damaged my waterproof garment, what can I do?

You can temporarily fix minor punctures and tears with a GORE-TEX® Fabric Repair Kit, available at specialty outdoor stores. These special adhesive patches allow you to make instant repairs to preserve the waterproof integrity of your outerwear until you can get to a certified repair centre. Visit www.GORE-TEX.com for more information on your local repair centre.

We don't recommend to make alterations to your DryVent® garment after purchase. You might compromise the waterproof protection of your garment, usually via small needle holes that have not been sealed. If you 'd like to change your garment in any way, or you would like to apply embroideries we recommend you to work with specialised companies only, who can assure you the waterproofness. No warranty can be given on the altered or repaired parts of an item.

I've damaged my waterproof garment, what can I do?

We recommend you to bring your garment to either a The North Face® retailer, who can inform you about the possibilities you have or to a repair centre, specialised for outdoor garments.

It is natural for some of the down and feathers to escape through the fabric, particularly through the seams. The sharp quills of the feathers can poke tiny holes in the fabric and work their way through to the outside. This may happen particularly in newer products when the down has not had an opportunity to settle. This should not affect the insulating property of your product. To minimize the amount of down that escapes, simply pull the down back through the underside of the fabric and massage the fabric and down underneath. This will cause the separation in the fabric fibers to close.

In rare cases, a material defect or manufacturing flaw may cause excessive down leakage in a product. If you find the above suggestion ineffective, we will be happy to inspect the item for you.

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